What Once Was
by Jubiland
Summary: Things change. Similar to Danny's change from Phantom to Fenton at the North Pole, which left Valerie is stunned and confused. Was her friendship with Fenton enough to outweigh her hatred for Phantom? What does she plan to do about it? post PP. DxS
1. Chapter 1

**Summary: **At the North Pole, Valerie couldn't believe her eyes as she watched Danny Fenton transform into Phantom. Conflicting emotions bombarded her. She needed time to think things through before taking a course of action. Was her friendship with Fenton enough to outweigh her hatred for Phantom? Just as Valerie watched Danny change, this story shows that nothing in life is fixed. DxS. The fic isn't centered around Valerie, though she is essential to the plot.

**AN: **This is my first fanfic! I'm not exactly a fan of writing, but ever since I watched every episode of DP on netflix, I was hooked. After watching Phantom Planet, I never believed Valerie would just stand in the crowd and smile back at Danny when he transformed. Half a year later, the story is finally coming out! By the way, I did take some creative liberties. Why would I rewrite something that happened in the show? Therefore, anything past the disclaimer will be up to my discretion.

**Disclaimer: **Danny Phantom belongs to Butch Hartman. lucky him.

What Once Was

Chapter 1

Everyone was clapping, cheering for him. Overwhelming enthusiasm greeted his transformation. Everyone, but her. Fortunately for her, the expression of utter shock displayed on her face was lost among the jubilant expressions of the crowd around her. Contradicting emotions bombarded her. She had to get out of their. Valerie sprinted in the opposite direction of the people's gazes. She didn't understand how this could be possible, and they was no way she could look at Danny's face anymore.

Only one person seemed to take notice of her departure.

...

Scanning the group of people, once face stood out from all the rest. Well, one besides Sam of course. Her face always stood out to him. At the thought of Sam, a light pink started to emerge on Danny's face. It was mistaken by the crowd as humbleness on Danny's part.

Danny, reveling in his newfound acceptance, was abruptly pulled from his elation when he saw Valerie's demeanor. Confused crossed his face. Danny made a note to talk to her afterwards, as he was soon swamped with the love and support of his best friends and his family.

"Danny, you did it!" Sam cheered, rushing up to him.

"I knew you could do it!" Tucker cried, following suit.

"Thanks guys, you two are the best friends a ghost could ever ask for," Danny proclaimed, his thoughts of Valerie quickly dispelled. Danny pulling them in for a massive hug. The group of three rapidly increased to include Danny's family, classmates, and everyone present until all were clustered around Danny like penguins in a snowstorm. For all he knew, there could be penguins in the huddle! _Or what that the North Pole?,_ Danny thought. Still, Danny couldn't help but notice his friend's absence, and tried to excuse himself from the group. Unfortunately, someone would approach him immediately after he finished a conversation. First his friends congratulated him, then his parents voiced their praise, next Jazz blabbered some psychological drivel, even Dash came and apologized for calling him a coward, followed by Paulina who claimed she knew Danny was special all along and had secretly harbored a crush on him. Finally fed up with all the attention, Danny turned intangible and sprinted through the crowd to reach Valerie.

"Val!" Danny called, regaining visibility as he approached.

Valerie jumped, not expecting anyone. She turned around and harshly uttered "What do you want, Danny? And don't call me that!"

Danny froze mid-stride, hurt evident on his features. "Valerie, I couldn't help but notice that you weren't exactly happy when I transformed in front of everybody."

"Of course I wasn't happy! Why would I be happy when I just found out one of my closest friends is a GHOST?" Valerie exclaimed, whose voice gained volume with every word that passed through her scowling lips. "I can't believe you were Phantom this whole time! I thought we were friends, Danny, I thought we could trust each other, I thou-"

"But we _are _friends, Valerie!" Danny interrupted, making sure to use her full name to avoid angering her even more. "All those things are true. I trust you and I even liked you. We had a thing!" His face reddened slightly at his own words.

"That's the past, Danny. What once was. But it couldn't be since I didn't want to put you in danger. I _cared_ about you. I tried to keep you safe, even if that required that we remained soley friends. But I guess we were never truly friends..."

"Don't say that, Valerie! Of course we're friends!" Danny countered, his volume also escalating.

"Friends don't fight, Danny, at least not like we do! We're after each others blood when we fight! In your case, ectoplasm. Actually, since you turned out to be half human, BLOOD!" Valerie screamed, no longer holding back her emotions. "You tried to kill me, Danny, KILL ME! You think I FORGOT?"

Danny winced. "That wasn't me! Well, I guess it was. I meant that wasn't you! I had just talked to you so I knew it wasn't you inside that suit. It was Technus! I only attacked the Red Huntress after I was sure you weren't in there!"

Danny's explanation made sense, but Valerie still didn't want to believe it. _Never trust a ghost, not even one that you thought was your friend._ She told herself. However, the look on Danny's face made her waver in her thoughts. Danny was a good friend. The only one she had after the loss of her popularity at Casper High. _Even though he was the cause of it, _she reminded herself bitterly.

However, as Valerie observed the Danny in front of her, she felt remorseful of her previous thoughts. Here was the cute, clumsy Danny that had she crushed on for the last couple months. This Danny was begging fervently for her forgiveness, using those bright cerulean eyes of his. Oh how she loved his eyes...

"Valerie, I cared for you so much, and I still do. Please let me make this up to you somehow." Danny pleaded.

"I almost gave up ghost hunting for you..." her confession coming out barely above a whisper. As she voiced this, she realized that giving up her alias would've left Phantom the opportunity to terrorize Amity Park. How poorly thought out that notion had been. _But Phantom is Danny..._ Her face contorting with every new thought. _Unless that was his true intention the whole time, and our relationship was a façade._

Watching Valerie as different thoughts rolled around in her head, Danny was on the verge of interrupting her reverie when she spoke.

"I need some time to sort this out, Danny. I'll talk to you in school," Valerie concluded, giving up. She was going to have to contemplate at a later time, preferably alone in her room.

"Oh, okay Valerie. I'll see you then," Danny responded. He turned away and returned dejectedly to his friends.

...

After noticing that Danny was gone, the crowd had quickly dispersed until an announcement was made to board the airplanes that would return the people to their home towns. The majority of the people originated from Amity Park, but there was a handful of technological and military experts who lived elsewhere. Sam and Tucker lingered around until they saw Danny walking away from Valerie. Having witnessed the acrimonious exchange between the two, neither knew what to expect from Danny.

Walking up to meet Danny, Sam asked, "Is everything okay between you and Valerie?"

"Yeah, man. It looked like it got pretty nasty pretty fast. Is everything cool between you two?" Tucker queried, joining them.

"I dunno, guys," Danny sighed. "I hope so. She was pretty mad when I had first started talking, but she calmed down quite a bit and said she was gonna go home and think about it some."

"That's a start. Maybe then she'll realize that you're the hero every claims you are, and you can go back to being friends." Sam offered.

"Just friends," Tucker smirked as Sam placed a smart punch on Tucker's right shoulder, which elicited a small whine from the victim.

"Oh yeah!" Danny exclaimed, features flipped 180 degrees as he plastered a smile on his face. "Sam, we still gotta talk."

"That'll have to wait until we get back to Amity Park. I you want me to be any sort of cooperative, you'll have to get me out of this frozen wasteland and into a thick blanket in a cozy living room." Sam replied, brushing him off.

As if reading their minds, the unmistakable voice of Jasmine Fenton pierce through the chilly air.

"You lovebirds and Tucker better get your butts into this airplane in 5 seconds before I go out there and forcibly drag you in!" Jazz screamed as she leaned out of the window of the airplane.

Any part of Danny and Sam's faces that weren't already red from Tucker's previous comment was immediately flushed as the population of those present at the North Pole watched the trio scurry onto the airplane Jazz had shouted from.

...

Danny's airplane was the first to departed, and he watched as all the other airplanes also left for their destinations. All the intangibility equipment had been dismantled, along with the operating headquarters, and was to be brought to Axiom Labs for further research.

Danny, using his intangibility powers, stuck his head out the window and reveled in the feeling of the wind in his hair. It felt like flying, but slower. Still, it was equally relaxing. He used his newly relaxed state to reflect on what had happened. He had saved the world. Again. It was just as terrifying as the first time, although it didn't require as much strength and combat as it previously had. Hopefully his enemies no longer viewed his as such, or at least would be civil to him. If he didn't have to fight ghosts, his life would be so boring. Danny laughed. Ghost fighting was tedious, time consuming, and tiresome; yet he wished to keep it to quell his boredom. How juvenile of him.

Danny pulled his head back into the airplane. Next to him was Sam. Her head was nodding in an attempt to fight off sleep. He pulled her head over to rest it on his shoulder. Sam languidly glanced up at the gesture, then quickly succumbed to sleep. Danny chuckled to himself. He was finally ready to admit that he liked Sam. A lot. And he was ready to admit it to her too. It had always been there, but he had just labeled it wrong. It wasn't the friendly love he felt for Tucker. He had thought the difference was because Sam was a girl. Now he knew that the feeling was love. Plain, simple, corny love. Not that he was going to tell her that right away. He stuck his hands in his pockets and sighed. He couldn't wait to return to Amity Park and officially ask Sam to be his girlfriend. Suddenly, Danny felt butterflies in his stomach. _No wonder girls giggle so much_. _Minus Sam. _Danny smiled. Sam. His Sam. She was way different from any ordinary girl. She was independent, strong-willed, and steadfast in her beliefs. He wouldn't have to fret over her should anything happen to her, either mentally, physically, or ghost related. Nevertheless, he would worry anyways. Looking down at her placid face on his shoulder, her brushed a strand of hair from her face. Danny vowed to always protect her, especially if ghosts caused problems for her after they officialize their relationship.

Realizing he had been fiddling with something in his pocket, Danny pulled his hand out. Opening his hand revealed a small class ring with Sam's name inscribed inside. _Sam_... Danny thought. _I know! I'll give Sam the ring!_ As suddenly as his face had lit up as the thought, it quickly fell. The ring was previously intended for Valerie. At least she hadn't know about its existence. It also brought about the fact that Valerie didn't trust him anymore. Danny could only hope that she would look in retrospect and see how good friends they once were. However, things that once were can't always be. _People change. Feelings change. Life changes. Everything can flip in the blink of an eye. _Danny allowed a smile to grace his lips as he looked down at his shoulder to the slumbering Sam. _But sometimes it's for the better._

**AN: **First chapter done! It's 3 in the morning and it look me less than 3 hours to crank this out. Let me know what you think, and any suggestions or constructive flames are welcome. I have no idea a) what's going to happen in this story b) when I'm going to update, but it'll be less than a week, and c) how fanfiction works so let's see how I can get this on. Also, if you see any spelling or grammatical errors please feel free to inform me.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: **I'm ecstatic over the support this story has garnered, so I'm going to post the second chapter now. Also, I was too excited to edit my first chapter before posting, so I went back and made edits, nothing big. I'll try to keep my end author notes short or nonexistent to avoid misconceptions about the chapter length. Beginning ones will start to shorten too.

**Disclaimer:** Butch Hartman, oh how you butcher me. (wow, a Tucker approved pun)

What Once Was

Chapter 2

Though the ceremony was over, the after party to celebrate Mr. Foley's new position as Mayor had just begun. When Tucker, Danny, and Sam entered the Foley residence, it was almost impossible to locate Tucker's dad. After scanning the crowd, Tucker realized that his father was probably at the epicenter of the mass.

"Hey guys, I'm going to go congratulate my dad on being mayor. I doubt you two wanna help me push through all these people. I'll catch up later," Tucker said, turning to take his leave.

"Dude, I can just go intangible and literally push through them. Now that I've revealed myself I can use my powers whenever I want," Danny rebutted, grabbing Tucker's shoulder to turn him around.

"Nah, it's okay. The reporters haven't noticed your presence yet, and they'll be in you in a flash if you were to bring me to my dad," Tucker countered. "Anyways, don't you two have some 'talking' to do?" He raised his hands to place air quotes around 'talking'.

Tucker left the blushing pair alone as he looked to the crowd. It was mostly friends and family, but a few news reporters had weaseled their way inside. As Tucker braced himself for the trek to his father, he was stopped by a hand on his shoulder.

"What now, Danny?" Tucker exasperated as he turned around.

"Are you Tucker Foley? Son of newly appointed Mayor Martin Foley and once head of the technical procedures during the tribulations in the North Pole?" At the voice, Tucker gasped and straightened himself. The director of Axiom Labs was addressing him.

"Y-yessir. That is I." Tucker managed to blurt out as his heart raced in excitement.

"After reviewing your performance in such a dire situation, it was concluded that you have high potential and would be a valuable addition to Axiom Labs." The director continued, unaffected by Tucker's nervousness. "We would like to offer you a job. We were considering rehiring Damon Gray, as we were unable to find a more qualified substitute, but you seemed to have already surpassed Mr. Gray's abilities. Are you interested, Mr. Foley?"

Looking at Tucker's face, his answered was obvious. "That would be an honor!" However, as Tucker thought it through, he realized how improbable it was for him to maintain a job. "But you should take Valerie's dad instead. I'm still in school, so I have no time to dedicate myself to Axiom Labs. Especially since I have to help Danny catch ghosts and stuff. Despite my reluctance, I must turn down your offer."

The boy's downcast face was easy to remedy. "What about a part time job? Surely you can consent to that. We'll even leave your hours extremely flexible. A talent such as yourself should be benefitting society, instead of fooling around by yourself in your room."

Tucker tried to hide the blush that threatened to emerge as he thought of the implications the director's words. "Now that is an offer I cannot deny. Getting paid for something that was once a hobby is like a dream come true!"

"Excellent," the director responded, "then I expect to see you at 7 am sharp friday morning. Hopefully that'll allot enough time for your life to regain some sort of balance, not only from the recent threat but also your father's new position as mayor. When you arrive, head to the front desk and tell then your name; the receptionist should direct you to my office. There, we can talk about your duties at Axiom Labs, and you will receive your pass-card. Your actual shifts won't begin until monday. We need to go over a couple of ground rules first. This is imperative, so don't oversleep."

"Yes sir!" Tucker called out to the director's retreating figure, "7 o'clock sharp!"

_I can't wait to tell Danny and Sam! Even though this will cut our break short. Still, they'll be so excited!_ Tucker grinned as he reached in his pocket for high cell phone. He stopped himself. _They'll probably still talking. I wouldn't want to ...interrupt anything._ At the thought, Tucker's grin only widened.

...

As Tucker departed, Danny took Sam's hand. "C'mon, Sam, let's go to the park or something." Sam's face tinged pink as the contact, but Danny didn't notice. Still holding her hand, Danny walked towards the door and reached for the doorknob. Immediately as he opened the door and stepped out, the paparazzi sprung on him.

"Daniel Fenton! How long have you been Danny Phantom?"

"When did you first get your ghost powers?"

"What got you into ghost hunting?"

"How did your parents react when they found out about your other half?"

"Does Jasmine also have supernatural abilities?"

"Are you and Samantha Manson dating?"

The last question left both teens flushing red. Sam tried to let go of Danny's hand to quell the paparazzi's questions, but Danny just gripped her hand harder. In a flash of light and a gust of wind, Danny had transformed into Danny Phantom and fled, leaving the flabbergasted paparazzi who immediately began comparing transformation photos.

Danny placed Sam gently under their favorite meeting tree before reverting back into his human half.

"That was quite the exit, Danny. I bet you've given them even more to talk about now," Sam said, leaning on the tree's trunk.

"Who cares. It's kinda fun feeling like a celebrity sometimes, Danny remarked, taking a step closer to her and reaching out to hold her hands.

"Sam, about that last question the paparazzi shouted," Danny began hesitantly, "I want to be able to answer it. I want to able to call you my girlfriend. I've had all these feeling bottled up inside of me without know how to express it. But I'm sure now. These feelings go beyond friendship. I no longer want us to remain friends when my heart longs to be so much more! Please, Sam. Tell me you'll be my girlfriend."

Sam looked up to meet Danny's gaze. She hadn't noticed how much closer he'd gotten during his speech. Her vision began to blur as she answered, "you don't know how long I've been waiting for you to ask me that." She quickly dried her eyes with the inside of her shirt collar before continuing. "Danny, of course I'll be your girlfriend. I've luh—er-liked you since, like, forever and I wished, more often than I'll admit, that you'd realize it.

Smiling down at Sam, Danny brushed some of her hair back behind her ear, leaving his hand cupped on her cheek. "Samantha Manson, you are the prettiest girl ever, even prettier than Paulina. Your inner beauty surpasses that of any girl, and that's what makes you so special. You stand strong behind your beliefs, and don't let anything faze you. I can't say the same for anyone else. Anyone who doesn't see you for who you are is a fool, though I can't say I'm unhappy about that. I'd be a jealous wreck."Danny ended with a small laugh.

The tears she had tried to quell previously now flowed freely from her eyes. The emotions that overwhelmed leaked out her tear ducts. The tear drops were quickly brushed away by Danny's thumbs. Even though Sam knew Danny only used her full name for emphasis, she used it as a attempt to hide her weakness.

Sam punched him lightly on the shoulder. "You should know better than to call me by my full name, Daniel Fenton. I can forgive you this time, but next time, I will throttle you." The statement elicited a small chuckle from Danny. Pushing away her irritation, Sam, let out a breath, looked Danny in the eye and confessed, "You, Daniel Fenton, are more special than any guy I've ever met. Not including your ghost powers. Your personality is so pure, and your smiles are always genuine. Danny, now that the world know, don't let anyone look at you differently. Yes, you're different, but you're also better." She then stood on her tip toes and placed a chaste kiss on his lips, lingering a little more than necessary.

Pulling back, a big cheesy was plastered upon Danny's face. Sam's expression mirrored his. Holding her hand and stroking the back of it with his thumb, Danny reached his hand into his pocket. "This is the best day ever, and there is only one thing that could make this even better." He pulled out the ring and holding it between his index finger and thumb to show Sam. "I once was going to give this ring to Valerie, so I would understand if you don't want to wear it; but it would mean so much to me if you did. I guess I really was the clueless one since even my dad knew that we were meant to be. The engraving is proof enough."

"It's okay, Danny. I would love to wear it."

Danny slipped the ring onto the appropriate finger. "Perfect," he whispered. "Just like you."

Sam blushed as Danny leaned in for another kiss. _Yep, definitely the best day ever_.

What once was an unwavering friendship had evolved into beautiful relationship.

...

She was torn. Valerie sat on her bed and stared at her Nasty Burger Mascot costume. She wished she had someone to talk to about her dilemma, but nobody would understand. Also, she didn't plan on revealing her identity as the Red Huntress. "Even though Danny and his friends already know," she muttered to her plastic companion.

Danny had left her so much to think about, and it was driving her insane. Valerie got off her bed and began pacing the floor. She decided that she would first analyze her past with Danny Fenton. Their friendship had started off on a wrong note. She was too popular to take notice of a loser such as Danny, even though she had always thought of him as cute. After the loss of her father's job, _due to Phantom's immaturity _the memory eliciting a scowl_,_Valerie had been bumped down in the social ladder, forcing more contact between herself and Danny Fenton. They hadn't gotten along too well, especially during the flour sack project. Danny had acted like a complete jerk. He didn't understand that people could be as busy as she. Valerie worked her butt off to help provide for her and her father. Doubled with ghost fighting, Valerie's life was a hectic mess. Danny could have helped her out, instead of acting the way he had. He wasted his time away floating through the sky as a supernatural freak. Danny, being half ghost, had only added to the duties of the Red Huntress.

_The Red Huntress,_ Valerie sighed. She glanced over at her wall of ectoplasm rays. Her new lifestyle had been provided to her by Vlad Masters, who was also half ghost. That hardly mattered anymore, for Vlad was forever condemned to a nomadic life in space.

Valerie could not help but feel hurt at Vlad's betrayal. She had placed her complete trust in that man. To know that she was only asserting Vlad's power to the denizens of the ghost zone made Valerie feel used. _He never cared about calming the ghost numbers in Amity, all he cared about was his damned reputation. More so when he became mayor. _She gasped in realization. A ghost had been mayor of Amity Park. The inhabitants had entrusted their safety to a **ghost**!

No doubt, Vlad Masters had been a danger to society. That fact was irrefutable when he took Dani captive and attempted to decompose her into nothing but mere ectoplasmic goo. Danny Phantom had been there to help Valerie save her. She was glad that Danny changed her mind. Looking back, Valerie knew she would have regretted her decision to help Mr. Masters destroy a helpless little girl. Even though that girl was half ghost, she was still a civilian. Valerie had begun ghost hunting to protect her townsfolk from ghostly threats, and Vlad had been that ghostly threat.

Maybe there was some good in Danny Phantom. They had worked together flawlessly when they were being hunted by Skulker. When they had finally escaped him, Danny could have easily left Valerie wandering around the ghost zone. Though his unconventional method was highly displeasing, Valerie was at least thankful that Danny had not left her.

However, both instances could be seen as Danny saving himself. Phantom had told Valerie that Dani was his cousin. That means he used her to save his own family! Why didn't she see it before? Phantom had tricked her into risking herself to help save a ghost's family member!

"That selfish brat!" Valerie seethed. "All he cares about is himself! I bet the only reason he cooperated with me during the situation with the mercenary ghost was so he could escape! I don't see why he guided me out of the ghost zone in the first place. That ghost already ruined my life once, doing it one more time wouldn't have changed anything."

Valerie growled in frustration. Her mind was racing back and forth. She glanced up from the floor that she had been glaring holes into and noticed one of her prized possession. _My weapons wall, _she thought fondly.

Walking over to her weapons wall, Valerie picked up a small ectoblaster. After making sure it was powered down, Valerie brought the ectoblaster at eye level and pretended to blast off the Nasty Burger mascot's head. She glanced up at her collection of ecto-weapons as she replaced the small ectoblaster in its empty spot. A few of the weapons were running low on energy, whereas a couple had been rendered useless from the lack of battery. "How am I supposed to replace my ghost hunting gear now?" Valerie didn't want to admit that she needed Vlad to restock her wall. She would find a different way to obtain her artillery. "And why couldn't they just make ghost weapons that use regular AA batteries?"Valerie voiced her frustrations aloud to the mascot. Exasperated, Valerie flopped onto her bed. The action resulted in a light gust that disrupted a piece of paper on Valerie's nightstand.

As Valerie leaned over side of her bed to pick up the paper, she realized it wasn't ordinary paper, but photo paper. Flipping the photo over, Valerie came face to face with a memory from her past. The photograph was taken when Danny and Valerie were on the ferris wheel during the annual carnival. Inspecting the picture further, Valerie took note of the jubilant expressions that undeniably genuine.

_Danny..._Valerie sighed. She would never have guessed the impact that the nerdy, scrawny adolescent could have on her life. Overlooking the bad, her and Danny Fenton had shared many good moments together. He apologized for acting like a jerk during the flour sack project, and he even replaced her in that asinine costume she has to wear. After that day, their friendship had only grown stronger.

She knew her duty, and she knew Danny's friendship was worth more that anything she had owned in her previous life. Decisions were difficult, especially one of this magnitude. Sprawled across her bed, Valerie was finally nearing a conclusion. The sun's rays began peeking over the horizon, and Valerie would soon allow her mind the well deserved rest. She had to remain steadfast in her decision, even though part of her would always feel regretful. With one more glance at the photo and one at the wall of ectoplasmic weapons, Valerie's lips pursed in reluctance.

_There's no turning back now, _she resolutely noted as she gripped the photo in her hand. Valerie Gray had made up her mind.

**AN: **Don't expect routine updates since I'm just posting as I finish. Also, volleyball season is approaching, and with that, the beginning of the school year.

Another note, I got a Flame about wavering from the show. This is my fic, so I made some edits. How could the trio hang out if Tucker was busy being mayor?


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: **Sorry, guys. I kinda hit a rough spot in my life. It'll get better with time. I don't think anything important happens in this chapter. I was going to put something significant, but it got kind of long. Next time...

**Disclaimer:** Danny Phantom and all related characters, locations, and all that other junk belong to Butch Hartman.

What Once Was

Chapter 3

Sticky seats, grease-covered tables, and pungent air were the trademark of Amity Park's top teen hangout. A place for students of all social classes meet up and interact, but not with each other.

Pushing the door open, Tucker took a deep breath to inhale the aromas of the fast food joint. "Mmmmm... Nasty Burger... Home of the nastiest burgers EVER!" He threw his arms up for emphasis. "I mean nastiest as a good thing, of course."

"There's no other way to enjoy a burger if it doesn't have the word 'nasty' in front of it," Danny agreed, sliding into the trio's familiar booth.

"Why do you guys like burgers so much? They're just a putrid conglomeration of the remnants of a helpless animal, unable to protect itself from the clutches of glutenous human beings!" raged Sam, with a look of revulsion on her face.

"Well, Sam, meat is delicious! You wouldn't understand. Just go back to eating your green, crunchy veggies cause meat is, and always will be,** the best**!"

"UGH, TUCKER! I am going to shove a salad **up you nose**! Then you'll have to admit that vegetables are the more superior food group!" When Sam took a step forward, Danny finally decided to intervene.

"Calm down you guys, we've been over this before. Both protein and whatever's in vegetables are essential to a healthy diet. But there are alternative methods of ingesting such nutrients, so let's tone down the volume because people are starting to notice."

True to Danny's word, a few upperclassmen had turned their heads at the quarreling duo; only to resume their previous activities once they saw that their attention had been averted by two loserish freshman.

"I think it's my turn to order, so I'll go do that. No more arguing! At least until I get back." Danny reprimanded them before walking off towards the counter.

"What, does he think we're babies or something?" Sam rolled her eyes at Danny's retreating figure.

"I don't care what he calls us, as long as I get my super deluxe double nasty burger combo with extra meat sauce!" Tucker exclaimed as he began bouncing up and down in his seat. "Double the nasty equals double the delicious! Is that an oxymoron?"

"The only moron here is you, Tucker" Sam said, relaxing into her seat.

...

Danny approached the counter, mentally reviewing everything he had to order so he wouldn't embarrass himself by screwing up.

"Next." the cashier called.

Danny walked up to the counter. "I'd like a number 3 with cheese, no tomatoes, a number 5, and a number 7 with double the meat and extra meat sauce on the side. Also, a large basket of cheese fries and 3 large strawberry nasty shakes."

"Is that all?" Danny nodded. "That'll be $19.85"

As he pulled out his wallet, Danny noticed a familiar face standing on the opposite side of the counter. "Hey Valerie!" Danny shouted, waving the arm that wasn't holding his wallet.

Valerie looked shocked when she heard Danny call her name. She hastily replaced the mascot head back over her own head and scampered out the back down.

"Huh, maybe she didn't hear me." Danny reasoned as he laid the money down on the counter. He took his receipt and waited for his order number to be called.

After a quick wait, Danny's number was called. He walked up to take his order and returned to the booth where his friends were waiting.

As soon as the tray hit the table, Tucker's hands snatched up his burger.

"Ahh, the perfect combination of grease, fat, and meat!" Tucker sighed contently as he rubbed his hands together in anticipation.

Sam rolled her eyes at Tucker's antics as she reached for her own sandwich.

"Hey guys," Danny said, sliding in next to Sam, "I just saw Valerie behind the counter. I waved and said 'hi', but she just ignored me."

"Are you sure she heard you?" Tucker asked with a mouthful of burger. "It's probably pretty loud back there with all the deep fryers and stuff. Mmm deep fry" He shoved a few fries into his mouth.

"Well she said she'd talk to you when school came around. Maybe she still needs some time away from you to think things out. Plus, starts back up on monday., so you'll she her then. It's only wednesday; you can wait till then. I guess there is a positive side to global disasters after all." Sam responded, hoping to snuff out any talk about Valerie.

"Yeah, you're right, Sam. She'll talk to me when she ready." Danny nodded with his head down. "I hope she wants to remain friends."

"You're a superhero dude!" Tucker proffered while sipping his milkshake. "Don't be so mopey. And eat your burger already because I'm almost done mine and I'm totally going to dig into that if you don't."

Danny snatched his burger away before Tucker could make any advances on it. "Fine, whatevs,"

The three friends idly ate their meals in reticence.

"So Tucker," Sam jumped in before the silence dragged on too long. "When does your job at the Axiom Labs start?"

"On Friday. Actually, it officially starts on monday, but I have to go there friday morning to learn all the ropes of the place. And they're gonna give me my pass card then! I'm so excited!"

"Awesome! Are you gonna give us a tour afterwards? The one we took on that field trip was neat, but I think you'd make a waaay better tour guide." Danny smiled, burger crumbs sprinkling his face.

"Danny! You've got crumbs all over your mouth!" Sam complained, grabbing a napkin to wipe off the accused food bits. When Danny's face was cleaned to Sam's satisfaction, the pair noticed a goofy-faced Tucker staring at them.

"Shut up, Tucker!" Sam raged, kicking Tucker in his shin from under the table. The sharp pain caused Tucker to jerk his knee up, hitting the underside of the table. The action caused everything on the table to jump, and knocked over Danny's milkshake container.

"Tucker! You're lucky that was empty." Danny said, picking up the container and placing it right-side up on the table."

"Ouch! Sam!" Tucker whined, ignoring Danny's laments. "I didn't say anything! That really hurt..."

"Well don't make that face again or you're gonna be uninvited from bowling night at my place."

"I'm still invited to bowling night?" Tucker said surprised.

"Yeah, why wouldn't you be?" Sam inquired.

"I thought that maybe you two were gonna hang out by yourselves. You know, cause you're together now." Tucker responded, smirking.

Sam's face began to flush. "Just because Danny and I are dating doesn't mean we aren't going to hang out with you. But for your unnecessary comment, you can throw away our trash. Cmon Danny"

Danny placed his and Sam's trash onto the tray before sliding out of the booth.

"Guyyyss," Tucker frowned, "That's so not fair."

"Then maybe next time you'll keep quiet, you know Sam's sensitive about that stuff."

Sam punched Danny in his shoulder. "I am **not** sensitive! You guys just annoy me." Sam's face showed her ire. "I'm leaving. Feel free to catch up."

Danny sped up to his departing girlfriend and slid his hand into hers.

"Wait up guys! I'm coming!" Tucker snatched the tray off the table and dumped the trash in the trash can. As he quicken his pace to reach with friends, he suddenly slowed down again when he passed a booth that held a single, disconcerted young blonde.

"Star..." Tucker sighed dreamily before quickly sliding into the booth and placing an arm around the lone girl. "If you were looking for a handsome young man to accompany you, you should've just asked."

"If you're looking for action, go play with your dumb video games." Star retorted, slipping out from under Tucker's arm, "I'm not in the mood."

As Star turned to glanced up to scowl at Tucker, the tear tracks on her face became more apparent.

"Hey Star, what's wrong?" Tucker asked, genuinely concerned.

By this time, Danny and Sam had noticed Tucker's absent and had walked back to see him in a booth with Star. "Yeah, Why aren't you sitting with Paulina and the other A-listers?"

"Well," She sniffled, "It's wednesday and Paulina said my shirt is too peach to count as pink, so she kicked me out of her table! Now I have to sit here all alone and I hate it! Why is she so mean.." Star's voice faded into a whisper as she put her head down to conceal the newly budding tears.

Tucker made a significant look at Sam, accompanied with an arm gesture when Sam had chosen to ignore him. After several long seconds, she finally gave in.

"Ughh Star? The three of us are going bowling at my place and since you're all by yourself, would you like to come with us? It'll be a blast." Sam asked as monotonously as possible and simultaneously rolling her eyes at Tucker's thankful grin.

Star glanced over at the A-list table to see Paulina flirting with Kwan while sitting on Dash's lap. "Yeah sure, it's not like they're going to miss me anyways."

Tucker pumped his arm under the table in excitement and slid out of the booth. Star followed him out. As the foursome passed the A-list table, Star flipped her hair and held her head up high. Nobody even looked up because they were too busy listening to Paulina talk about how she thought her breasts were lopsided.

The four teens exited the building and made their way down the street towards Sam's house.

"When are we going to get there!" Star groaned, "these boots were _not_ made for walking."

"I could always carry you there if you wanted," Tucker suggested, looking over at Star.

Sam flipped her head around to look at Tucker. "Shut up, Tucker. And Star, it's coming up right after the bend.

The four made the final turn onto Sam's street and saw a lonesome building surrounded by lush grass and exotic flora. Star stopped dead in her tracks.

"**That** is **your** house?" Star's fell agape as she stared at the massive mansion.

"Yeah Tucker, what a great idea! Let's bring the girl with the biggest mouth in the whole school over to my house!" Sam punched Tucker in the arm with all her might. "Now, Star if you don't mind, could you not tell anybody that I'm rich? That'd be great."

"Dude that really hurt!" Tucker exclaimed as he nursed his injured arm. "And you don't have to be mean to Star! I'm sure she won't tell, right Star?"

Star gave them a disbelieving look. "Uhhh are you serious? You could buy Paulina out like 3 times over!"

"But you're not going to tell anybody that or I'm going to have to thrown off my property!" Sam glared over her shoulder at Star. "So either don't say anything or get lost."

"Fine, fine." Star relented. "I won't tell anyone, but that's only because I want to see the inside of your house..err.. mansion."

"House. And don't think you're going to get a grand tour or anything, we're just going to the basement for bowling." Sam walked up to the front door and fiddled with her keys before finding the right one. "Welcome to the Manson Mansion," she said dryly.

The four friends filed into the house and started towards the basement. Sam, Danny, and Tucker were unfazed by the luxurious décor that surrounded them and walked the familiar path towards their destination. Star, however, felt compelled to stop and appreciate everything she passed by. She sped from one object to the next; eyes scanning hungrily over the whole room. "Ohhh mann, Paulina would be sooo jealoussss!" She whispered to herself.

"Hurry up, Star!" Sam called from down the corridor, "Get your butt over here, or we're going to start without you!"

Star scrambled over to the basement door and scurried down the steps only to skid to a stop when she noticed the shocking bowling alley in front of her. "You've got to be kidding me. YOU HAVE A BOWLING ALLEY IN YOUR HOUSE?"

"Yeah, what else did you think I meant by 'We're bowling at my place'?" Sam asked as she walked over to the monitor and began setting up their game.

"I knew you said that, but I never thought you'd actually have a bowling alley **in your house**! This is too cool." Star said as she relaxed into a bean bag chair.

"As long as you don't tell anyone, I don't really care." Sam typed one last thing before hitting 'enter' and walking towards the ball return to start. "And I'm totally going to own you at bowling anyways."

"No way! I rock at bowling!" Star challenged.

Danny and Tucker plopped down in their usual seats. "Oh no," Danny said looking at the two girls, "if they start up, we could be here a while."

"I could deal with that," Tucker replied, putting his arms behind his head. "I love Sam's house. Plus, cat fights are the best."

Danny smacked Tucker's knee. "Ow, Danny!" Tucker winced. "I see Sam's habits have begun to rub off on you." That shut Danny up.

Sam picked up her favorite purple bowling ball with the subtle amount of sparkle. Making sure the surface was buffed to her satisfaction, Sam walked over and rolling the ball onto the lane. The ball cruised down the lane and knocked over 7 pins. A silence fell over the group as Sam waited for her ball to appear through the ball return. When it emerged, Sam took it and observe the remaining pins. The 6, 9 and 10 pins remained. _Easy enough, _she thought. With immaculate form, Sam rolled the ball down the lane and knocked down the last three pins, earning herself a spare. Satisfied, Sam returned to her seat next to Danny and raised an eyebrow at Star, waiting for her to challenge Sam's score.

Jumping off her seat, Star strutted over to Sam's collection of bowling balls to pick her favorite. After testing the weight of several balls, Star selected a creamy peach one. She carried it back to her lane and gave Sam another look. With a harrumph, Star tossed her hair and rolled the ball down the lane. 9 pins fell. Star smirked. After retrieving her ball from the ball return, Star stared down at the last remaining pin. She rolled the ball with a slight grunt. It passed by the pin, leaving it standing. "Dang it!" Star spun around on her heel. "It's only the beginning, I'll pass you in a minute!"

"Yeah right!" Sam countered. "You'll never catch up to this!" She got up and walked over to get her ball.

"Wait, Sam!" Danny got out of his seat to stop her. "What about me and Tucker's turns?"

Sam sighed, "Ughhhh hurry up! I wanna win!"

"In your dreams, Manson!" Star shouted.

_This is going to take a while._ Tucker thought, putting his elbow on his knee and resting his head on the palm of his hand.

...

She looked up at the stark white building. "This looks like the place." She took a deep breath before walking up to the entrance.

Opening the front door, Valerie Gray stepped inside.


End file.
